As mentioned in a couple of earlier posts, rum has many nicknames including Nelsons Blood and grog. Alternatives include; Rumbullion, kill-devil, navy neaters, Barbados water and pirate’s drink. One of the theories of the origin of the word rum, is from Rumbullion, which itself means great tumult or loud crowd noise. Colonists from America when they first discovered and tried rum found it very strong and when they claimed it was potent enough to slay Satan himself, kill-devil was born. Alongside grog being issued to the Navy, where rum was mixed with water, the senior offices were able to take their allowance neat, hence the term navy neaters. Barbados water comes from folklore that suggests Barbados is where the first rum originated. Finally, pirates are synonymous with rum. This could have been due to the fact that rum kept for longer on ships, but we know it was steeped in pirate tradition which has led to the term pirate’s drink. If you have any other nicknames with interesting back stories please leave them in the comments below!